Authorities: Pittsburg County Grass Fire Intentionally Set

Pittsburg County firefighters as well as firefighters from neighboring counties worked Thursday into Friday morning to put out a massive wildfire near Longtown.  

Longtown is just east of Eufaula.

Fire officials say the fire is now mostly contained and left behind lots of scorched earth and trees.

Pittsburg County Emergency Management says about 5,000 acres burned.

The Number 9 Volunteer Fire Department says the fire threatened about 45 homes or structures.  They evacuated four homes, but those families are now back home. The good news is no one was hurt. 

Officials are calling this wildfire suspicious and suspect it was intentional set.

"The location where it was set, there's not any homes there, there's not any oil fields there. It's just awfully hard to understand why a fire would start right there. So Somebody had to be out here starting it. I don't know why anyone would do that, but they do," said Danny Choat, Number 9 Volunteer Fire Department Chief.

They say it's frustrating because this has been the hardest fire they have fought in a long time. Adding firefighters will continue to monitor the area to make sure the fire does not reignite.